Desert Jedi Princess and Lowly Technician
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: We are now a year away from Episode IX! I thought I would mark this occasion by revisiting Star Wars after many months. This is a Reylo fic... sort of. Set between TLJ and IX, Rey meets someone who reminds her of the man she lost. Love blossoms anew. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Personal Radar Technician

**Chapter 1: Personal Radar Technician**

The motion of the thrusters powering down on the _Millennium Falcon_ jerked Rey out of a deep, but troubled sleep. Moving out of the captain's quarters which had once belonged to Han Solo, and that featured the only bed aboard the ship - the bed that her comrades had insisted she take, she jostled past various Crait survivors to the cockpit. Looking beyond Poe Dameron and Chewbacca's piloting, Rey peered through the viewfinder to behold a lush, meadowy world down below, as the Falcon came down out of this new planet's atmosphere.

The Force within her tingled, and she didn't even have to turn her head to note Leia Organa's presence.

"Naboo. My mother's homeworld. It's on the edge of the Mid Rim, close to the Outer Rim territories. They're a very peaceful people and I doubt the First Order will follow us there."

This finally caught Rey's attention, and she glanced to the older woman. "How do you know?"

Leia offered a wry smirk, crinkled with age. "Decades ago, my mother ruled over this planet as Queen. She was just a teenager, not much younger than you, child. Her reign was so prosperous, her subjects then unanimously elected her to serve in the Galactic Senate." Leia sighed wistfully, clearly contemplating more just political landscapes gone by. "My mother's memory still commands a presence here. The Naboo will harbor us for as long as we need it."

"But what if...?" Rey stopped herself, dropping her voice down to a whisper. "What if... Ben decides to attack us here?"

Leia did not let on any surprise over Rey's knowledge that Kylo Ren was her wayward son, Ben Solo. Instead, she merely shook her head. "If I know Ben like I think I do, he won't dare set foot on the crust. He was a very studious boy in his youth. He should know well how the Naboo and the Gungans rose up against the Trade Federation's blockade. My mother and father both led the assault, assisted by two Jedi. These Jedi faced down the first Sith Lord seen in millennia. The Master was killed. The Apprentice survived and struck down the Sith, and in his old age, watched over my brother in exile."

Rey absorbed the story in raptured disbelief. She wondered who the Jedi apprentice had been. But before she had the chance to ask, the _Falcon_ made a sharp, vertical descent and slowed, as Poe guided the old freighter to touch down in an illustrious hangar bay. As soon as the shudder of landing faded away, Poe stood from the pilot's chair and addressed what was left of the Resistance - barely 20 souls, including himself.

"We will take shelter here and begin to rebuild our forces." The Commander's voice was solemn. "All able-bodied pilots will be provided with a new ship by the Naboo, as well as a personal maintenance crew. Emissaries from the Queen's entourage are waiting for you down at the gangplank to welcome you. Dismissed."

Rey turned to follow Leia and the others shuffling towards the gangplank. Poe's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Except for you, Rey. Your maintenance crew has already been assigned."

Rey blinked at him, perplexed. "But I don't have a ship."

"Are you sure?" Poe smiled with a wink, as he gestured all around him. "Chewie is in agreement: the _Falcon_ now belongs to you. Only you or he may pilot it."

Rey gaped at the Wookie, and he let out an affectionate, confirming howl. The young Jedi's eyes filled with tears. Her throat clogged up, and she wanted to balk at the generosity of the gift, that she wasn't worthy of such a ship, but all she could get out was: "Thank You."

"Ah, and here is your technician!" Poe was glancing over Rey's shoulder and he blew a sharp whistle with his fingers. "Hey, Matt! Come over here!"

A well-built muscular man paused at the top of the gangplank and shuffled over. "Yes, Commander?"

"Rey, meet Matt, your Radar Technician."

The technician stepped into the light, and Rey froze, eyes wide.

Her first thought was one of panic. _How is he here? How did he get on the Falcon?_ The last time she had seen Kylo Ren had been at the base of the _Falcon_ 's gangplank as the Resistance fled, as she closed the freighter door in his face.

And except for a large, nerdy-looking pair of glasses, and a luscious head of blonde curls, Rey could have sworn that the man who stood before her was the new Supreme Leader of the First Order. If Ben had a slightly fraternal twin, this Matt would be it. A dead ringer for Kylo Ren.

Matt, meanwhile, met Rey's gaze only briefly, before averting his eyes, his creamy face darkening to red. "You want me to service the Jedi's freighter, Commander?"

"Affirmative, Matt," Poe nodded. "And now, I must receive the Queen and discuss shelter concerns. You two go ahead and get to know each other." He nudged past Rey, practically pushing the girl forward into Matt's arms. The technician caught her by the shoulders and Rey found her hands instinctively resting against his toned chest for purchase.

The pair stared at each other awkwardly for a moment, observing as Poe and then Chewie disappeared off the ship. Finally, her cheeks pink, Rey stepped away, glancing down at her feet. She only met the technician's stare again when Matt cleared his throat.

"So, Master Jedi: do you know of any immediate problems that require attention?"

Rey jaw unhinged, then closed again, as she stuttered. "Oh. Um... yes. If... if you'll just... follow me..."

Just her luck: out of all the people in the galaxy, she was assigned a practically personal valet who just had to be the spitting image of the man who shared her Force Bond and haunted her dreams. Stars, it was going to be a long recovery period in hiding...


	2. Chapter 2: To Me, You're Matthew

**Chapter 2: To Me, You're Matthew**

Rey jerked her hand back to avoid the surge of sparks that fizzed from the outlet port.

"Careful, Jedi!" Matt barked. "Do you know the wattage that can go through this wiring? Keep that finger on a circuit too long, and you'll barbeque yourself for dinner."

Rey huffed and rolled her eyes as she examined the exhaust port in front of her. She and Matt had spent the better part of their first afternoon on Naboo tinkering with and checking the Falcon's main wiring. They were huddled in the trapdoor compartment, where Han made a career out of storing and smuggling stolen goods. A few feet away from her, Matt was huddled over a control panel, as he began to gesticulate blindly behind his back without turning around.

"Hey, can you hand me that... dog-legged clencher?" he asked of Rey. Rey crawled over to Matt's toolbox, which had probably every maintenance tool known to creatures and a few that even she didn't recognize. She picked up what she thought looked like what Matt was describing.

"No," Matt was now looking fully in her direction. "No. The one I'm pointing to. The one I'm... over there! By your foot!" He was clearly trying not to sound too exasperated with her.

Rey quirked an eyebrow as she held up what looked like a pipe-squeezing mechanism. "This?"

"Yes," Matt sighed in relief, and she tossed it to him. He set to work squeezing some wiring, then tucking it back in to the control box before replacing the paneling. "So," he took on a more conversational tone. "Where are you from?"

Rey paused, but only for a fraction. When Luke Skywalker had first asked her where she was from, she had been hesitant to say. A lifetime of scavenging had taught her to be cautious in revealing too much to strangers. Not to mention that there would always be a bit of shame in describing where she was from. But Matt posed the question in a way that made it seem innocent. So she was honest. "Jakku."

There was a clang as Matt tapped a tool against a compressor. "I've never been there," he admitted, and he sounded intrigued.

Rey snorted bitterly. "And I hope you never will. It's a desert dump."

"Huh," Matt took it in. "Like Tatooine, or those kind of places. Is it in the Outer Rim?"

"No. Inner Rim. By the Western Reaches." Rey wiped some grease off of her hands. Not wanting to appear rude, she hit the proverbial ball back over the net.

"So: what about you? Where's home?"

"Bespin," Matt replied simply, sparing her a quick glance.

The name certainly sounded familiar. And all at once, Rey felt a strange affinity for the place. As if she had seen it in a dream... or a vision... Maz Kanata's castle on Takodana briefly popped into her brain. "What's it like?"

"It's a gas giant in the Anoat system, part of the Outer Rim territories. Clear on the other side of them, though, leastwise, relative to Naboo here. I grew up on the streets of Cloud City."

Rey stared. "A city... in the clouds?"

"Yup. Whole infrastructure's powered by turbolifts - the largest ever built anywhere in the galaxy. I learned how to use my hands to survive - traded odd mechanic jobs for food. Free as a bird - I lived for myself."

Rey frowned. "You're an orphan?"

For the briefest instant, she saw a flash of pain flit across Matt's eyes. They were a brilliant shade of blue, she noted, probably like the skies surrounding this city in the clouds. "Yeah." A slight pause and then: "You?"

Rey could all at once hear Kylo's words on the _Supremacy_ echo in her brain, and she drew into herself. "Yeah. Me too," she whispered. When she glanced up, she saw Matt studying her intensely.

"I might have known it. You have that look about you."

Rey wrinkled her nose. "What look?"

Matt's gaze was smoldering even as it was filled with solemn truth. "That abandoned orphan look."

She didn't know what to say to that, so the pair continued repairing the _Falcon_ in silence.

* * *

As the Resistance settled onto Naboo over the next several weeks, Rey and Matt often met to maintain the _Falcon_. While Matt insisted that he didn't need any help, Rey was more than willing to lend a hand. Sometimes, they would talk for hours in the ship's hold; other times, they would work side-by-side in companionable silence.

Maintenance sessions soon expanded into friendly meet-ups when they weren't working. There was so much to see, do and explore on Naboo. Rey thought that she had never seen a planet with such beauty; it was even prettier than Takodana had been. On sunny days, she would drag Matt out to the grassy fields of what was known as the Lake Country, where they would walk side-by-side and chat.

"You have a last name to go with Matt?" Rey asked, the tall grasses brushing up against the long sundress that Leia had recently given her as a gift.

Matt shook his head. "Nope. I've been an orphan for as long as I can remember. Friends I knew in Cloud City tell me I wasn't even a month old when my parents passed."

Rey felt her insides twinge, and her heart went out to the young man. Conscientiously, she tucked a strand of her brown hair back behind her ear. "I was a little girl when my parents... left me."

Matt stopped dead in the grasses and whirled to face her, looking slack-jawed. "They _left_ you? How could they?"

Rey shrugged. "For passage off of that rock. And drinking money." As she had ruminated Kylo's claims over and over in her mind, searched her feelings through the Force, she had come to accept that what he had claimed was true.

Matt was regarding her with a new respect. "What did you do?"

Rey shrugged, picking at a blade of grass. "I worked as a scavenger. Scrounged around for parts. They were plenty to go around. One of the last stands of the Empire was made above Jakku; they were scores of old Imperial Star Destroyers in the sands. I used an old quad jumper speeder." Her gaze grew wistful, sad. "I really liked that speeder. Customized it myself."

"Was it orange?"

Rey blinked in astonishment. "Yes," she whispered. "It was. How did you know?"

Matt grimaced. "Most quantum jumpers are orange in color. It's just the style. Don't ask me why."

Rey found herself smiling, even laughing a little, at the continued expression of discomfort on his face. "I take it you don't like the color orange?"

Matt visibly shuddered. " _Hate_ it."

They were returning to the hangar bay now, which both of them could see was teeming with life after the midday meal.

"Hey, Matt!" Finn called.

"Howdy, Matt," Connix greeted.

Rey and Matt strolled up to the _Falcon_ , stopping on the gangplank. "So, what else don't you like?" Rey teased.

She was surprised to find that she seemed to have hit a nerve, as Matt now affixed her with a sheepish expression. "I don't like being called Matt."

Rey pursed her face in thought. "Well... how about this? From now on... to me, you're Matthew."

Matt beamed. "I'd like that."

* * *

It was one morning several weeks later, when Rey met Matt at the entrance to the Naboo hangar bay early. The sun was just coming up, and the doors to the hangar were still closed.

Right away, Rey noticed how the dark circles under Matt's eyes had accentuated. He had been skipping the dinner meal recently, holing himself up here in the hangar and saying that he needed to complete some complex, involved repairs on the _Falcon_. Apparently, he often worked long into the night before returning to his bunk in Theed Palace.

"Rey," Matt began shyly. "There's something I want to show you." He started to open the hangar door, but then turned back around. "But first: you have to close your eyes."

Rey eyed him skeptically, her frown somewhere between wary and amused.

"It's a surprise," Matt explained. So Rey finally did as he asked and closed her eyes lightly. She heard the hangar doors being flung open, then felt Matt taking her tiny hands in between his calloused palms - they felt warm to the touch - as he guided her into the hangar.

"Can I open them?"

"No, not yet. Wait here." And Rey felt him release her hands. Sharp light danced over her closed eyelids, and she felt the flooding warmth of added sunshine. "Now can I open them?"

"All right... now!"

Rey opened her eyes and gasped, both hands going to her mouth in astonishment. For there, resting before her, was a quad jumper speeder just like the one she had had back home on Jakku. And it was even orange!

"I can't believe it! Did... did you build this yourself?"

Matt blushed. "Yeah, nights. You... you like it?"

"It's _wonderful_!" Rey breathed.

"Then it's yours!"

Beaming, Rey threw her arms around him and even pecked his cheek, not noticing how elated Matt looked.

* * *

Matt watched in fascination from his seat in the grassy plains of the Lake Country, as Rey finished repairing the legendary Skywalker lightsaber. Growing up as a child on Bespin, he had heard the stories about how the weapon had been lost following Luke Skywalker's duel with Darth Vader on Cloud City.

Now, as Rey successfully activated the plasma blade, he watched as she performed sweeping motions with it, cutting the air. Her moves were so graceful, allowing Matt to appreciate the gentle slope of her arse, the flexibility of her long thighs...

"I wish I had the Force," Matt commented, accidentally aloud.

Rey paused in her practice with the blade. "How come?"

He blinked rather rapidly in surprise at her question. "Well, because, then I would feel special."

Rey digested this curiously, her brown orbs glittering confusedly. "You _are_ special. You're special to me."

That night at dinner, the Resistance was on a rationing system, due to a temporary food shortage. Matt readily gave up some of his portions to Rey, scraping potatoes and carrots onto her plate. "You need it more than I do."

She stared at him gratefully. "Why are you so good to me?"

Matt's brow furrowed, as if the answer is obvious. "You're my girl."

Rey smiled affectionately. "I'll always be your girl."


	3. Chapter 3: You Care For Him

**Chapter 3: You Care For Him**

Poe observed Rey and Matt laughing and working on the _Falcon_ through his small viewfinder from clear across the hangar bay.

"I'm telling you, man. It's eerie. It's like looking at him," Finn insisted.

Poe peered through the googles once again. "Yup, I can definitely see it," he mused. "Just lose the blonde curls and the glasses. Do you think a plan like that would work, though? We aren't very accomplished in subterfuge."

"I feel positive we could pull it off. Think of it: deposing the Supreme Leader without firing a shot!" Finn's eyes gleamed with the possibilities.

Poe thought it over before finally nodding once. "I'll discuss it with my advisers."

* * *

"Excuse me, Private Matt? May I speak with you for a moment, please?"

Matt was passing Commander Dameron's office when he heard the Resistance leader call out to him. He entered the private study and pulled the door to before standing at attention. "You asked to see me, Commander?"

"At ease, soldier." Poe rose from his desk and circled it. All the while, he kept staring at Matt closely, curiously. It was deeply unsettling, almost. Finally, the general spoke. "Matt... are you aware of the resemblance you hold to the Supreme Leader? Kylo Ren?"

At this, Matt flushed deep red, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh... yeah. I get that a lot." His face suddenly broke out into a beaming smile. "Rey enjoys teasing me about it." Poe noted, but didn't comment on, the way Matt's eyes lit up when he said her name. He did not seem to mind when Rey brought up the likeness, as if he knew that it made her happy. Poe filed this away for later.

"Well, that's encouraging, because she has expressed this to me on occasion herself," Poe transitioned smoothly. Halting in front of his desk, he leaned against the wood. "Matt: my advisers and I are discussing the idea of having you infiltrate the First Order and impersonate the Supreme Leader. Switch places with him and take the throne."

Matt stared at the general, mouth agape. "Depose him, you mean. A bloodless coup."

"This would take many months of preparation, of course," Poe placated quickly. "Completing your resemblance to him. Teaching you how to talk and act like him. But, yes. If you could switch places with Kylo Ren, we could capture the real him and you could lead the First Order to a voluntary surrender with us. No one should suspect a thing."

Matt gulped. He wasn't so sure about that. In some respects, the First Order was even more devious than the Empire. Surely some officer might suspect that there was an imposter, a traitor, in their midst. And such discovery would mean certain death. Besides, although it would be easy to alter his appearance, he still differed from Kylo Ren in one critical respect: he had no command of the Force. Poe must have seen the uncertain look on his face, for he added, "It was Rey who suggested this plan to me. I'm sure it would really impress her." And of course, because it was Rey, Matt decided he would have to make the attempt. Be brave for her.

"I'll do it."

"Good man!" Poe clapped Matt on the shoulder. "You're dismissed."

Matt headed back to the hangar bay, his mind in a fog. How could he ever hope to mimic the Supreme Leader? But, as long as it made Rey happy...

As he got near the _Falcon_ , Matt happened to glance up... and stopped dead in his tracks.

There, at the base of the gangplank, stood Rey, her arms draped about the neck of, and openly kissing, Kylo Ren. Other fighters were mingling about, and strangely appeared not to even notice the display.

Matt felt as though a thousand hot scalpels were digging into his skin, exposing the muscles to be burned by the sun. His blue eyes stung with the salty tears that pleaded to be shed, and he could think of nothing else but rushing forward.

"REY!"

His plaintive cry made Rey and Kylo Ren broke apart, rather roughly and awkwardly. And just like that, Kylo Ren quite literally disappeared into thin air. Matt skidded to a halt in front of his friend. "What the stars are you doing with him?!"

"With who?" Rey blinked.

"Kylo Ren! I saw him!" Matt hissed. "You were _kissing_ him!"

At this, Rey's eyes went wide. She reached out both hands in a placating, pleading gesture. "I can explain..."

"No need," Matt twisted away, his voice broken. "Now it all makes sense! Why you went to Poe. You think you can use me to switch places with Kylo Ren, ending the war and getting your little squeeze toy all in one package. That's why you want me to execute that plan to impersonate him. Poe told me it was your idea!"

Rey's eyes were the size of dinner plates. "I did no such thing! What makes you think I would do that?"

"I don't know, Rey. I don't know what to think at the moment! Are we still friends? Do you even care about me at all? You know how much I don't like others pointing out my similarities to Kylo Ren! But I let you tease me because it makes you smile!"

Rey stared at him for a moment. "Excuse me," she squeaked brokenly, and she stalked past him, doing everything in her power to keep her anger in check, as her body shook with rage. She had to get to the bottom of this...

* * *

"COMMANDER!" Rey yelled, as she barged into Poe's quarters without even knocking. "I want a word!"

Poe stood from his desk. "Yes, Master Jedi? What is it?"

Rey could only goggle at him with a mixture of disbelief and betrayal. "How could you?" she whispered brokenly, tears threatening to spill over.

"How could I what...?"

"How could you set Matt up for something so dangerous? Never mind that you lied and said I suggested it! You send him into that lion's den and he makes one misstep, the First Order could kill him!" Tears streamed down Rey's cheeks now. "Do you even show any concern for him at all? A general is supposed to look after all his soldiers!"

Poe watched the display before him curiously. "Rey... I came up with it at Finn's behest. I thought it could help Matt be of some use..."

"He already is!" Rey cried, her voice cracking and clogged from her tears. "Helping me with the _Falcon_! He's worth more than anyone gives him credit for, and he is certainly worth more than whoever he may happen to look like!"

Poe peered at her. "You care about him..." It was a statement, not a question.

Rey blinked rapidly for a moment, thrown by Poe's observation. "Of course I care about him! I..." She stopped short, shaken by what she almost spoke aloud.

Something in Poe's eyes flashed that was almost unreadable. Then, in the next second, he was pulling Rey into his arms and trying to kiss her. Rey gasped and twisted away before their lips could touch.

She didn't think through the motion. SMACK! The slap echoed throughout the office, and Poe staggered back, a hand to his singing cheek. Rey's voice now shook not with sorrow, but with rage.

"If you _ever_ try and hurt either one of us again, I will run you through with my lightsaber!" she vowed in a growl. And she fled from the office in tears.


	4. Chapter 4: Lie Here Next to Me

**Chapter 4: Lie Here Next to Me**

Rey elected to sleep in the captain's quarters of the _Falcon_ that night, rather than in her own room in Theed Palace. Entombed in darkness, she watched as the final shadows of day danced along the filmsy curtains draped across the porthole windows. No one came in and bothered her, not even Chewie, as if the rest of the Resistance could sense that the Last Jedi needed to be left alone.

It was just after dusk, and Rey was just beginning to drift off to sleep, when she heard the gangplank lower and footsteps enter the hold. "Who... who is it?" Her throat was raw from weeping.

The door to the captain's quarters creaked open. "It's me. I... just came to do some night repairs."

His impossibly blue eyes appeared equally as wet, and she got a clear view of his blond curls as he refused to look at her.

Rey wiped at her eyes and nodded slowly. "O...OK. Don't let me disturb you."

"I won't." The reply was sharp, and Rey felt as though she had been stabbed with a lightsaber. She sank back into the pillows and listened to the sounds of the ship as Matt went about his work. She inherently knew what he was working on - every exhaust pipe, every cable, every compressor - and for how long. After an hour or more, Matt returned.

"I'm done. I'll let you get your sleep." He still refused to meet her eyes.

"Matthew! Wait," Rey called out, chastising herself for how desperate she sounded, although the tone in her voice seemed to finally make him acknowledge her presence. She could feel his gaze on her as she sank down onto the edge of the bed, patted the spot beside her.

"Would you do something for me? Would you mind just... lying here next to me?" She blushed rosy pink. "No... no need to go further." She kicked herself, silently berating herself for that last comment, though why she could not articulate.

Matt's eyes were wide, gleaming in the moonlight, but he acquiesced to her request, as he lowered himself down onto the mattress beside her. For a long period, Matt and Rey rested side-by-side, staring at the low ceiling, not speaking. The silence was finally broken by Rey trying - and failing - to stifle a sob.

"I'll... I'll go," Matt offered, and he sounded deeply uncomfortable.

"No!" Rey whimpered, shaking her head and blinking back tears. "I don't want you to!" Desperate for some human connection, she drew herself into his side, and sagged with relief slightly when she felt Matt scoop one arm around her. She wept into his shirtfront.

In that moment, Matt shifted, turning his body into hers to hold her better. Rey felt... something brush up against the inside of her thigh. It was long... and hard and _stiff_.

Her breath hitched, and the intake could be heard throughout the room. Matt froze, and two pairs of irises - one blue and one brown - locked. Jedi and technician gazed into each other's eyes.

Rey visibly gulped. She wasn't quite sure what made her do it, but suddenly, she was mouthing her lips along Matt's neck, quickly finding his pulse point and suckling; she felt it accelerate under her tongue.

Unconsciously, she felt Matt's arms wind about her tighter. The Force sang through her, as she admitted to herself that she liked how he was holding her. Matt's giant paws of hands were sending tickling tremors up and down her spine, as he slowly began to press her deep into the mattress. Suddenly feeling bold, feeling like a Jedi, Rey's palms found Matt's chest and she slammed him none too gently onto his back, so hard that the headboard rattled, as she swung one leg across his hips and moved to straddle him. Her lips did not move from his neck, and she found herself guiding Matt's giant hands to her breasts, placing them there and teaching him where to squeeze, what she liked. As Matt touched her, palmed her through her wrap, Rey threw back her head and moaned, rolling her hips into Matt's swelling erection insistently.

"Un... undress me," she commanded in a breathless gasp. Matt knew her well enough to obey, as he carefully pushed the elastic of her drawstring pants down past her hips, all the way down her thighs. Rey's fingers worked blindly, but deftly, as she worked to unclasp Matt's belt and throw down his own trousers. She felt her fingers brush a long, slimy thing and she fought past her own embarrassment as she clasped Matt between his legs. Recalling what to do from gossip she had overheard over drinks in Nimma Outpost, Rey furiously ran her hand over the foreskin, up and down, the tip reddening and engorging in her grasp. She began peppering her lips all along Matt's face, everywhere except (strangely) his lips, gasping for air. Lining up the giant thing against her slick, wet folds, she pushed Matt inside of her, impaling herself on his manliness.

She squirmed in discomfort at first, whimpering plaintively, and Matt halted his ministrations, waiting for her to be comfortable and to set the pace. Once pleasure had replaced initial pain, Rey began to tentatively rock her hips, bouncing up and down on her partner, so that her breasts jiggled and glistened in the moonlight. Below their undulating bodies, the tiny bed creaked and swayed in protest.

"Uh! Uh! Ohhhhhh... Guhhhhh... Uhhhhhhh..." Rey's groans were long and pathetic, but to Matt, they were the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, and it egged him on as he pounded up into the beautiful woman strewn across him. He matched Rey thrust for thrust until finally, she flung back her skull heavenward and cried out:

"MATTHEW!" She exploded around him and his name on her lips made Matt come undone, spilling his seed inside of her with a grunt. Rey collapsed on top of him, utterly spent, and she moved no more. Clutching her sweaty skin close, lips in her long, brown hair, Matt fell into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

The sun was streaming through the frayed curtains, as Rey woke up naked, and alone in the large bed. Glancing about her and finding Matt gone, she felt a twinge of sadness course through her. The events of the previous night blasted through her mind, and she flushed with shame, but only at herself. Did she regret what had happened last night? It frightened her a little that she couldn't immediately say Yes.

Dressing herself, Rey marched down the still-lowered gangplank to find the hangar bay teeming like a hive of bees. She was barely out of the ship when she ran into Finn.

"Finn, what's happening?" she asked her friend.

"Commander's orders. All able-bodied men are to depart in X-wings and embark on scouting missions for new recruits!"

Rey scowled in disgust at the sexist directive passed down on high from Poe. The memory of the encounter in his office made her squirm even more in revulsion. She was a pilot, too, and a damned good one! Why couldn't she go?

"Even the technicians are being asked to fly..." Finn was saying.

Rey started, fear in her eyes. "Matt. Where is he?"

She sensed Finn recognizing the concern in her features and in her voice, but noted how he chose to say nothing. "Other end of the bay. I saw him prepping an X-wing for a pre-flight check."

Rey thanked her friend and ran to the end of the hangar bay. She found Matt hunched over the base of an X-wing, his back to her. She noted appreciatively the way his back muscles rippled as he worked. She approached tentatively. "Hey."

Matt turned, freezing a little when he saw her. "Hey," he said slowly.

They stood there in awkward silence for a moment, periodically glancing at each other and then away again, unsure what to say. Rey finally spoke first.

"I'm sorry."

Matt blinked, leaned back a little, and her heart broke at the wariness in his eyes. He looked petrified over what she might utter next. "What for?"

"For... not telling you about my Force Bond. With Kylo Ren. We... we have been able to see each other, be in each other's presence across lightyears, hear each other's thoughts, ever since Starkiller."

Matt wanted to ask if Rey was in love with Kylo Ren, but fearing the answer, he held his tongue. "Anything else?" The query came out harsher than he meant it to, and Rey noticed. Lip quivering, she shook her head.

"No." She shifted as if to turn around, but barely even began the rotation when she remembered. "Wait, yes. You have to know that I never suggested any mission like the one Poe described to you. I would never put you in danger like that, or ask that of you. If something happened to you, I couldn't... live with myself." She felt her cheeks burn. Another thought was given voice. "And last night - I don't regret it." And she meant it, as evidenced by how her face flushed even more.

Matt silently took this in, nodding in acceptance. "Well... thank you. And I forgive you. For the other stuff." He sighed. "Look, if I don't make it back..."

"Stop," Rey shook her head.

"Just in case I don't come back alive..."

"No, Matthew, I don't even want to discuss it," Rey laid a finger against his lips.

"But I -"

Impulsively, Rey stood on her tiptoes and kissed him right on the lips. She held the kiss for a moment, her hands lightly framing his face, until - shaken by her own boldness and the torrent of other feelings swirling around inside her - she broke away. "You're not going to die. I forbid it." She kissed him again, more gently this time, a brief but firm peck. "All right?"

Matt was gazing at Rey as if he had never seen her before. Something cloudy had hooded over his eyes as he looked at her, and it made Rey's heartbeat quicken. Was it possible...?

"ALL PILOTS TO YOUR FIGHTERS!" an automated voice boomed. Rey sighed. It was now or never; she might never get another chance to know. "Matthew..." she sighed. "If there's something you want to tell me... tell me now before you regret it." She eyed him expectantly, as Matt seemed to be trying to get his throat to work.

"I..."

Rey leaned forward expectantly, waiting on baited breath for him to say the words. If he confessed having feelings for her... then she would give herself to him, she decided. A good and decent man who would humbly support her and take care of her. Give her belonging to the family she had always wanted.

But nothing else could pass from Matt's lips. Rey turned sadly away...


	5. Chapter 5: Words I Couldn't Say

**Chapter 5: Words I Couldn't Say**

... And felt Matt suddenly grab her hand.

He yanked her back, so that she was turned into him, pulled up tightly against his chest. He spun her so that she was now braced against the vertical ladder to his X-wing cockpit, trapped between the metal rungs and his muscular body.

Gulping, Rey eyed him warily for a moment before Matt crashed his lips down against hers in a fiery kiss.

Immediately, he felt Rey's dainty fingers tangle themselves into his blonde curls and she _pulled_ , yanking his skull closer with a low groan. "Mmmmmm..." He watched her brown eyes flutter, sag, eventually drooping shut. Matt bravely encircled his arms around Rey's slim waist, his hands able to envelop her fully and rest lightly on her hips. Then, he dipped lower, cupping each cheek of her arse audaciously, giving one a firm squeeze, then the other. He felt her gasp, then bite down on his lip gently. When his tongue flicked out to tease her bottom lip, she moaned sexily, and opened her mouth to him, dragging his tongue in between the split to play with hers. "Hmmmm... Matthew..." Her arms twined about him lazily, her hands fisting the fabric of his jumpsuit along his shoulder blades. He pressed himself against her harder, his lips digging more firmly into hers so that her tiny whimpers and mewls were muffled as he deepened the kiss. He felt his torso get squeezed as Rey boldly hitched her leg up around him, locking their hips together, grinding and dry-humping against him, silently begging him for more sex...

* * *

That was what he should have done, Matt thought sadly, as he piloted his X-wing through the darkness of space. He should have up and kissed Rey breathless, leaving her gasping and panting for air, instead of letting her walk away from him like that, allowing his chance to slip through his fingers. As he dropped out of hyperspace somewhere near the Dantooine system, with only the dark emptiness of space to greet him, his R4 unit whistled excitedly.

"What is it, R4...?"

PEW! PEW! PEW! The TIE fighters screamed out of nowhere, guns blazing as they descended on the little X-wing. Matt returned fire, but the barrage met its mark and the tail-end of his fighter went ablaze.

"R4, reroute the steering capabilities to the front!" Matt yelled. Another pelting, and he felt their altitude drop. "We're hit!" And the X-wing careened into Dantooine airspace, crash-landing onto the savannah planet below.

* * *

Many other Resistance fighters were lost alongside Matt, Finn reported, upon his return as the only pilot to survive the First Order surprise attack. In the crowd, Rey gasped in horror, her eyes swimming with tears. Distraught, she ran for the _Falcon_ and shut herself away in Han's quarters, where she allowed herself to come apart with deep, wracking sobs, utterly distraught.

Overcome with grief, Rey felt her hand instinctively go to her abdomen, checked for the Force signature that had made itself known to her only days before. Letting her know that there was life with her, in her womb. Matthew's baby... the baby he had left her pregnant with after one desperate, magical night. And now the father of her unborn child was presumed dead.

Rey fell into despair and lost all hope. For how could she take up the mantle of the Jedi and raise a child alone?


	6. Chapter 6: Taking Last Names

**Chapter 6: Taking Last Names**

The Naboo Resistance base unexpectedly went into lockdown one morning, about two months after Matt's disappearance. Rey stumbled off the _Falcon_ , her baby bump barely perceptible, to find her comrades intercepting a First Order TIE fighter that had touched down in their hangar bay. Poe was in the lead, his men with their blasters drawn.

"This is Commander Poe Dameron of the Resistance. Come out with your hands up!" he ordered.

The hatch lifted, and a figure cloaked in black dropped out of the cockpit. Screams split the air and Resistance fighters trained their sights even more heavily on the intruder. Poe now whipped out his own blaster.

"Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, in the name of Leia Organa and the Resistance... you're under arrest!"

"Wait!" The crowd parted to allow Rey to rush through, hardly daring to believe it. Was it really Ben? Wait a minute...

But when the intruder spoke, his voice was gentler than Ben's, as he brushed the dark mane of hair out of his eyes. "Rey... it's me."

Rey peered at him closely, her gaze somewhere between curious, skeptical and amused. A little hope bubbled in there as well. She gazed at him closer, dared to stare deep into his eyes... eyes as blue as a Cloud City sky...

It was the eyes of the man who she had fallen in love with. "It _is_ you!" she cried, her eyes wide with amazement. "Matthew..."

Matt beamed, pleased that she had figured it out. "I'm going to kiss you right now..."

Rey's eyes went as wide as dinner plates, and she grinned nervously. "OK..." she giggled, and the next second, Matt had crossed to her in one stride, taken her in his arms and kissed her. Elated, Rey clutched her lover tightly and closed her eyes, slinging one arm around his neck and furiously kissing him back in front of the entire Resistance, as her comrades devolved into wolf-whistles, cheers and applause.

When Rey and Matt broke apart, their arms still around each other, there was no better sight than the one Matt held in his eyes right then: Rey's smile. It was a gentle, warm smile that he hoped to look at for the rest of his life. Knowing this, Matt blurted out:

"Will you marry me?"

Silence. Rey audibly drew in a breath, gazing at him, certain that she had misheard. Had he just... proposed?

"I love you," Matt confessed. "And I've been without you enough to know that I never want to be apart from you again. Will you marry me, Rey of Jakku?"

Rey smiled gently. "Of course," she murmured softly. And wrapping her arms about him, she gave him a long kiss...

* * *

... And when she and Matt broke the kiss at last, it seemed, it was at their wedding. Their wedding kiss with their friends cheering around them and a smiling Leia officiating, having just pronounced them husband and wife. Rey wore a strapless white gown - the same one that Leia herself had gotten married in - and Matt was in a borrowed tuxedo from Han's closet. Beaming, Rey and Matt swept themselves up into another dizzying kiss, holding it for a moment before releasing, smiling into each other's eyes.

That night, happily alone, Rey arched and squirmed blissfully as her husband made gentle love to her in the _Millennium Falcon_.

"Matthew..." she gasped. "Matthew, please..." She nearly sobbed the words, the pleasure he was giving her felt so wonderful.

Matt hovered above her, grunting. "Cum for me, my love."

She whimpered. "MATTHEW!" she wailed, writhing beneath him as she rode her orgasm to completion. Her groom followed inside of her moments later, and they lay there sweating, panting, wrapped in each other's arms before Matt pulled out and rolled off her. Still, he held Rey close to his chest, and shivered as she pressed her lips adoringly into his chest, peppering him with kisses.

"When I left on my mission, I should have kissed you goodbye," he rumbled.

Rey traced patterns lightly over his pectorals. "I wish you had," she murmured quietly. "I wanted you to kiss me. To say that you loved me." Raising her head off of his chest, she regarded him curiously. "Were you captured? After you were shot down? How did you escape?"

Matt was quiet for a moment. Finally, he began:

"I was captured. Shot down over Dantooine. The First Order has a base there and I was dragged in for questioning."

Rey trembled as she peered into his face. "Did... did they torture you?"

"No," Matt shook his head. "The base I was held in was not meant to be a prison. It looked more like a hospital, with cleaning and medical supplies. I was kept in a janitorial closet. One night, while the guards were asleep, I found some black dye amongst the supplies and dyed my hair. When my guard came in the next morning, I quietly beat him up and swiped the key. Put on his clothes. Patrolling the hallways, I pretended to be the Supreme Leader, and got the stormtroopers to prepare a TIE fighter for me. I boarded and took right off the planet and no one was the wiser.

Rey gaped at her husband. And then, she began to laugh. "Matthew, you are so... brilliant!"

Matt beamed. "And you, Rey of Jakku, are beautiful."

She flushed scarlet, even as she wrinkled her nose. "Hmm. That sounds kind of outdated already. My name." She caressed him. "I wish I knew your last name."

"I wish I knew yours," Matt chuckled. "And mine too."

"What are we going to name our child?" Rey mused innocently.

Matt nearly fell off the bed. "Are you... pregnant?"

Beaming, blinking back tears, Rey nodded. "I found out after you left. It was... when we made love that first time."

Matt grinned broadly and kissed Rey's lips chastely. "I love you!" He let out a long breath, clearly deep in thought. "Well, I guess we have to figure out our last name now. Or mine, anyway."

"What if we came up with our own last name?" Rey suddenly offered up.

Matt's brow furrowed, intrigued. "But what name would suit us?"

In answer, Rey climbed out of the bed they shared and retrieved the Jedi texts from the closet. Flipping through pages, her husband looking over her shoulder, she read ancient names of Force users - Jedi and Sith - past, until she finally came to rest on one page in the middle of the second tome she leaved through. "Here. Listen to this: Ajunta Pall, a Dark Jedi Master who was expelled from the Jedi Order close to 4,000 years ago, became what is considered to be the very First Dark Lord of the Sith."

Matt stared at her curiously. "You want to share our married name... with a Dark Lord of the Sith? Take the name of a Sith Lord?"

Rey nodded. "It would reflect our baby's Force heritage. And... it would balance out the light of our love. Light and darkness."

After a long moment, Matt nodded, agreeing with her reasoning. Smiling warmly, Rey kissed him.

"I love you, Matthew Pall."

"I love you too, Rey Pall."


	7. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Rey Pall stood on the cliffs of Ahch-To, looking out over the sea. Down below her, by the stone huts, young children - blossoming Jedi - played and meditated.

A soft cooing could be heard, as Rey felt her daughter, Leia, squirm in her arms. Her baby was not quite two, and was clearly waiting for the same thing she was. Smiling, Rey bounced her child lightly, cooing to her. "Daddy will be here soon, my sweet."

It had been 18 months since the war ended. 18 months since Rey had defeated Kylo Ren in a climactic lightsaber duel, killing him. It had pained her to kill him, and tear their Force Bond apart forever. It had pained her to fail in saving him and turning him back to the Light.

But the First Order was defeated. The galaxy was at peace. And Rey had a beautiful little girl, scores of Jedi students, and a man who loved her.

A freighter was just touching down on the landing platform by the shore, and Rey happily ran to meet it, her Jedi robes billowing behind her. Amidst the disembarking travelers, she spotted the fine head of blonde hair before she saw his face. Matthew Pall now came striding into view.

"Hello all, I'm home!" he called.

Near where the crates were being unloaded, a New Republic officer watched as Matt approached. "Who's that?"

Rey beamed with pride. "That's my husband." And she happily ran into Matthew's arms, nestling their daughter between them. She kissed him passionately, beaming. "Welcome home, my love!"

Matt smiled that winning smile and kissed her lightly again, tucking some hair behind her ear. Then he ruffled baby Leia's forehead, kissing her crown. "And here are my best girls! No sight I would rather see!"

Rey held out her hand. "Come on. The younglings are anxious to see you."

And together, husband and wife and baby headed up towards the stone huts.


End file.
